CHAPTER XXVI
CONCLUSION
It was a strange thing for the homeless fiddler to find himself
the object of affectionate care and solicitude--to feel, when he
woke up in the morning, no anxiety about the day's success. He
could not have found a better home. Naturally attractive, and
without serious faults, Phil soon won his way to the hearts of
the good doctor and his wife. The house seemed brighter for his
presence, and the void in the heart of the bereaved mother was
partially filled. Her lost Walter would have been of the same
age as Phil, had he lived. For his sake she determined to treat
the boy, who seemed cast by Providence upon her protection, as a
son.
To begin with, Phil was carried to the village tailor, where an
ample wardrobe was ordered for him. His old clothes were not
cast aside, but kept in remembrance of his appearance at the time
he came to them. It was a novel sensation for Phil, when, in his
new suit, with a satchel of books in his hand, he set out for the
town school. It is needless to say that his education was very
defective, but he was far from deficient in natural ability, and
the progress he made was so rapid that in a year he was on equal
footing with the average of boys at his age.
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